The White House has ruled out acting Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Janet Woodcock as a nominee for the agency’s permanent chief, Bloomberg news reported, leaving the role unfilled seven months into President Joe Biden’s term as the regulator prepares to make key decisions on coronavirus vaccines and treatments.
A veteran drug evaluator and a familiar presence on Capitol Hill, Woodcock was believed to be a leading candidate for the job. But resistance has grown over her role in the clearance of opioid drugs, as well as the more recent controversial approval of Biogen’s Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm.